1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to jacks which are mountable on a camper body and are useful for loading, removal, and/or leveling of the camper body.
2. The Prior Art
Currently there is a plethora of camper jacks available on the market ranging from simple mechanical jacks to sophisticated hydraulic units and are either demountable or are permanently mounted on the camper body.
One prior art camper jack, in particular, is attachable to a camper body only along a relatively short distance of the mid-section of the jack. An enlarged hydraulic fluid reservoir precludes snug engagement of the camper jack to the camper body, and brackets must be used to bridge the resultant gap at the mid-section of the jack. Accordingly, the jack is attached to the camper body in a relatively insecure manner, particularly since attachment at the hydraulic fluid reservoir itself is not possible. The reservoir also occupies a segment of the jack body which would otherwise be occupied, to some extent, by the extensible leg of the jack resulting, therefore, in a shorter extensibility of the jack.
With the valving mechanism and hydraulic fluid pumping apparatus of the jack located on top of the reservoir, the working level of the pump is elevated and is continually changing during operation of the jack. The constantly changing elevation of the working level is inconvenient and subjects to jack attachment point to undue stresses when the camper body tends to wobble.
A further problem arises from the upper hydraulic fluid reservoir because leaks, when they occur, result in hydraulic fluid staining a substantial portion of the length of the jack and thus serving to collect dust and debris on the jack.
Generally, manual extension of prior art jacks is possible only to a limited extent. Lowering of the extensible leg of the jack to contact with the ground so as to support a camper is, therefore, possible only through operation of the pumping mechanism. This is both tedious and inconvenient, particularly if the extensible leg must be extended a considerable distance before it contacts the ground surface.